Chapter 103 - Queen's Order
(Tanks from both teams were being white flagged left and right. The whole formation has become a clusterfuck of chaos and close quarters combat. Mika and Alice were maneuvering their light tanks towards the enemy flag tank and were dodging every shell fired at them. Eventually they arrived at the center but one of the M10s was aiming right at Mika's tank. The tank destroyer fired but Alice used her tank to shield Mika's tank and got white flagged)
"Alice!" Mika shouted
"GO NEE-CHAN!" Alice shouted back
(Mika didn't waste the chance given to her by Alice and drifted her tank past the remaining defenders and ended up at the back of the enemy flag tank. But before Mika ordered to fire she realized a very terrifying thing)
"Mika!?"
"Fake.."
"Eh?" Aki was confused
"It's a fake flag tank.." Mika said
(Just as Mika said, the M10 Wolverine that they thought was the flag tank of the Brazil Team was in fact just a regular tank. The tank destroyer was using its antenna as a flagpole and attacked a red handkerchief at the top to make it look like the flag tank. Commander Manuel had a very sinister smile on his face as he saw that his plan worked like a charm)
"It was a bold and daring plan, but in the end was futile." Manuel said with a smile
"Dodge Mika!" Kaede shouted
(Mika snapped out of her daze after hearing Kaede's voice. Her tank then evaded an incoming shell then shot at the fake flag tank's rear armor and white flagged it. She then continued to evade the other shells from the other enemy tanks and regrouped with her comrades)
"What the hell do we do now?!" Kay shouted
"Survive! All remaining tanks! Your orders are to survive for as long as you can!"
"But their flag tank is not here!" Anchovy shouted
"Don't worry! Just believe!"
(As the JNST fought with everything they had, their flag tank, the Duck Team, was hiding behind a waterfall at the very edge at the right side of the map. Unfortunately they were being tracked by the Tank Ace of Brazil the whole time and finally discovered their position. The tank ace changed his tank from an M4A1 Sherman to an M5 Stuart Light Tank so they could find them faster and quieter. All five of the Brazil Team's Stuart tanks were outside the waterfalls where Duck Team was hiding and they know they're surrounded)
"Did they really track us all the way here ever since the match started?" Taeko asked
"Yeah, we even drove in circles to make us untrackable and yet here they are.." Akebi said
"What do we do?" Shinobu asked
"Let's take the initiative and engage first. Better to take them by surprise and whittle down their numbers. Get ready!" Noriko said
"Roger!"
(Meanwhile Abilo was in a M5 Stuart which was the real flag tank of the Brazil Team. As he was giving orders to the other Stuarts the Duck Team suddenly fired their main gun through the waterfalls and white flagged one of the Stuarts which surprised Abilo. Then the JNST Flag Tank came out the waterfalls and started to flee)
"Full speed ahead!" Noriko shouted
"What the hell?! Open fire! Destroy them!" Abilo ordered
(All of a sudden a Ke-Ni B light tank drove off the top of the waterfalls and shot a round at one of the Stuarts chasing Duck team and white flagged it. Once again Abilo was shocked that somebody else from the JNST was here. The Ke-Ni belonged to Rosehip and she started dueling with the Tank Ace of Brazil)
"Have no fear-desuwa! The speedmaster of Japan is here-desuwa!" Rosehip shouted
"Rosehip-san!" the Duck Team cheered
"You dare challenge me! I'm the Tank Ace of Brazil!" Abilo shouted
"It doesn't matter if you are an Ace-desuwa! I simply need to defeat you and win this match for our team-desuwa!"
(Rosehip and Abilo dueled each other and she managed to pull him away from Duck Team. Rosehip was able to hold her own against one of the Tank Aces but Abilo clearly still had the upper hand because of his experience and skill. Their shells kept bouncing off of each other's tanks as they dodged. One of Abilo's shots managed to connect and knocked out the tracks from Rosehip's tank and hit a tree.)
"This is as far as you go! It's over!" Abilo shouted
"Yeah, for you that is~" Rosehip smiled
"Huh?!"
(A random shot suddenly hit the tracks of Abilo's Stuart tank and they spun out of control and hit a tree as well. Abilo looked at Rosehip's tank and saw its gun barrel pointed at their side armor)
"FIRE!" Rosehip ordered
(The 37mm shell buried itself deep into the side armor of the Stuart and white flagged it. A loud siren was rung all over the round signaling the match was over)
"THE BRAZIL TEAM'S FLAG TANK HAS BEEN DESTROYED! THE WINNER OF THE MATCH IS THE JAPANESE NATIONAL SENSHADO TEAM!"
(Everyone both on the field and the audience were in silence and shock after hearing the announcement. After a few seconds the loud cheers and shouts were heard and the JNST were celebrating their victory)
"W-We lost?!" Abilo as in shock
(Rosehip suddenly got a call on her smartphone)
"Hello Gero-kun! Nice shot! What took you so long!?"
(All the way back at the top of the waterfall was Gero in a prone position aiming his Type 97 Anti-tank. The distance from Gero's firing position to Abilo's flag tank was 1000 meters.)
"You went too fast and I fell off your tank when you went uphill! I had to run all the way up to the top, that's why I was late!"
"Oh! Sorry I didn't notice you fell! Tee-hee!" Rosehip acted cute
"DON'T TEE-HEE ME! WE WOULD'VE LOST IF I WAS LATE FOR EVEN A SECOND!"
"Come on, don't be angry! All's well that ends well is what Darjeeling-sama would've said!"
(While Rosehip and Gero were bickering at each other on the phone, Abilo was just in dismay that his tank's tracks were shot from a thousand meters away by an anti-tank rifle)
"He shot me from all the way over there..? That's just too much.."
(Back at the center of the battlefield, Manuel and Kaede shook hands and thanked each other for the match)
"How did you find out that our Flag Tank here was a fake?" Manuel asked
"I didn't, Eiji-kun, the commander of the White Tiger, was the one that noticed it just before we retreated. He told me about it after we regrouped but informed me not to tell anyone else. He then took one of our fastest tanks and headed towards our flag tank since he had a gut feeling that your flag tank would be there." Kaede answered
"A gut feeling huh? Here I thought we had outsmarted you and lured you into a trap. It seems we were the ones being trapped."
"We were indeed outsmarted and we just got lucky in the end."
"I believe that luck is also part of Tankery, don't you think so?"
"I guess I do.."
"Well then, best of luck to you and your team! We'll be cheering for you now!"
"Thank you very much!" Kaede bowed
[Semisphere - J.N.S.T War Room]
"ROSEHIP! ROSEHIP! ROSEHIP! ROSEHIP!" everyone was cheering
"Ohohoho! Cheer for me more! Praise me more!"
"I'm so proud of you, Rosehip! We're all proud of you!" Darjeeling said
"Thank you very much Darjeeling-sama! But I couldn't have done it without Gero-kun's assistance!"
"Oh no, you fought the Tank Ace of Brazil and held your own by yourself! You stuck to the plan, taunted him, pushed him to a corner and made him lose his guard! You made it possible for me to assist so it was all you!"
"Don't be all humble now! You were the only one to notice that the flag tank in the middle was fake!" Kaede said
"Yeah, what's up with that? You could've, I don't know, given us a heads up?" Shiori complained
"If I did tell you all then it would've made that battering ram assault you did unnatural. We had to make it look like a desperate last resort plan to fool Manuel. We needed him to see the shocked expressions on your faces when you found out that the flag tank in the middle was fake. Also, she was the only one that knew about the location of our Flag Tank so two birds one stone!"
"So that it wouldn't even cross his mind that we know of their plan!" Klara said
"That's right, in the end, Abilo was taken by surprise and didn't even have the luxury of informing Manuel that he was under attack."
"You should've seen the look on nee-chan's face!" Alice teased
"You didn't need to bring that up Alice!" Mika blushed
"Then how did you know that their Tank Ace was going after our flag tank?" Jajka asked
"When we first engaged their formation to lure them for an ambush, their light tanks were nowhere to be seen. So they were either scouting us as well or they were sent to hunt our flag tank. When I saw that their flag tank was a fake one then it was the latter. They were buying time by engaging and chasing us by making it look like they were on the defensive while their Tank Ace hunts our Flag Tank."
"As expected of senpai! You figured out their plan so quickly!" Sakuraba praised
"Nah, just got-"
"LUCKY!" everyone suddenly said
"E-Eh?!"
"We all know that you were gonna say that!" Kay smiled
"Haha, I guess you all know me a little too well!"
(Everyone was just celebrating their victory when the Conquering Princess came by for a quick visit)
"Congratulations Gero! You're the first team to make it to the Quarter-Finals!"
"Thanks Charlotte, then that means you'll be second?"
"The Chinese Team are formidable opponents, their commander is a little bit of a hot head but still a smart strategist."
"And yet you didn't deny that you'll be second.."
"Well then, have a good night, and see you next time!"
"Don't you want to at least eat? Since you already came here!"
"I'd love to but the ladies behind you might think otherwise.."
(Geor looked behind him and saw Erika, Kay, Darjeeling, Mika, and Kaede with very scary expressions of jealousy)
"Ah..I bid you farewell then..I guess we both have it rough huh?"
"Both?"
"Behind you.."
"Ah.."
(Charlotte looked behind her and Victoria was also there oozing with bloodlust. Gero just slowly closed the door and both him and Charlotte got an earful once again)
"Ever since you met that man you have been acting all very strangely!"
"Is it wrong to congratulate a friend for his achievements?" Charlotte asked
"A friend huh? By the way, you've got some big shots waiting for you at our war room."
"Big shots? Who are they?"
"They claim to be MI6 sent by the Queen.."
"Section Six? By Mother? Why?"
"They said it was information that was only meant for you to see and nobody else."
[Semisphere - British Team War Room]
(Charlottes and Victoria enters the room and the agents from MI6 stood up and saluted them)
"Good afternoon, your majesty!"
"Please take a seat. So, what could be the reason why my mother sent you all the way down here?" Charlotte asked
"I am Agent Bowe and this is Agent Joules, as we said to Ms. Victoria, we are from MI6 and bring very crucial information for you."
"Ok then, let me hear it."
"We need to ask Ms. Victoria to exit the room before we proceed."
"She will do no such thing. You either do what you came here for or I will be the one to ask you to exit the room."
(Charlotte had a very serious look on her face and the agents were intimidated right away)
"Forgive me, your majesty. Then we shall now begin. We came here today to inform you that we have found Mr. Williams."
"What?! You found him?! Is that true Agent Bowe?!"
"Yes, we have."
"Who's that?" Victoria asked
"Bryan Williams, he was my teacher, he taught me how to fight and trained me. He's the reason I am who I am today. He was a former navy seal of the Special Boat Service or the SBS! He suddenly left 2 years ago for a trip and hasn't contacted us ever since."
"I see, you never told me you were taught by someone!"
"Well my brother was the one who introduced him to me and he told me that he will only teach me if I promise to keep it a secret from our mother, so I did. Forgive me Victoria."
"No, it's alright. I understand, no need to apologize, your majesty!"
"So, tell me where he is?"
"..."
"What's wrong? Is he alright?" Charlotte asked with a worried voice
"I regret to inform you that Mr. Williams is dead. I'm sorry, your majesty."
(Charlotte's expression worsened and her hands started to shake)
"W-What? What happened to him?!"
"He was killed."
"That..that can't be..he may be retired but he was still strong! Far stronger than anyone I know and definitely far stronger than me!" Charlotte shouted
"We don't know the exact details but it's the truth. He was in South Korea at the time of his death."
"Who..?"
"Your majesty?"
(Charlotte's expression turned into rage and her eyes became lifeless. She clenched her hands on the table and unleashed immense bloodlust. The agents and Victoria was thoroughly scared and were unable to move an inch)
"Who's responsible for this?!"
"U-Upon further investigation we discovered that this man was responsible for taking the life of Mr. Williams."
(Agent Joules handed a folder to Charlotte which she opened right away and was shocked once again after seeing the photo of the culprit which was Gero)
"T-This man is.."
"What!? Isn't that the White Tiger commander?!" Victoria reacted
"Yes, his name is Nishizumi Gero. He may look like a normal person but in reality he is the leader of a terrorist organization. We believe that Mr. Williams found out about his identity and thus led to his death." Agent Joules explained
"Why is he here? Is he planning on attacking the tournament?!" Victoria asked
"We don't know for sure but there is a possibility. We also found out that he was here last year as well and was responsible for the attack on the African President's life. He was also responsible for the massacre of an entire village."
"This is absurd! There must be some kind of mistake! Check it again!" Charlotte ordered
"We already did, your majesty, we triple checked it with our sources back in our headquarters and everything points to him."
(Charlotte fell silent upon learning the painful facts just now. Her teacher was killed and the person that was responsible was someone she thought was her friend and new rival. She was filled with numerous emotions but one emotion ran rampant among others. That emotion was rage and it was directed to Gero)
"My mother, the Queen sent you here right? What were your orders?" Charlotte asked
"To arrest Nishizumi Gero and bring him back to Britain, your majesty."
"I'll be making an adjustment to that, I will be the one to arrest him, and personally bring him back to Britain."
"But that would be too dangerous, your majesty!"
"I believe you misunderstood me, that was an order not a request. I swear upon the name of the Royal Family that I, Charlotte Artura Georgina, will personally apprehend Nishizumi Gero."
"Charlotte.." Victoria was worried
"Does anybody have any complaints with my order?"
"No, your majesty!" the agents answered
"Very well, gather your men and prepare, we will get him after our match against China. It will just be us and him, nobody else gets hurt. Am I clear?"
"Yes, your majesty!"
(The agents of MI6 now left their war room leaving only Charlotte and Victoria.)
"My sincere condolences, your majesty."
"He was very strict during training, he told me I was weak and my talent was a waste on me."
"Your teacher?"
"Yes, everytime I'd lose to him he'd trash talk to me, knowing fully that I could have him imprisoned in the coldest and darkest of prisons for every word he said."
"Either he has a deathwish or is a sadist." Victoria laughed
"Maybe both, but he never gave up on me. He always pushed me beyond my limits and believed that I would be stronger and better with every loss. Under his harsh and strict face is a kind and gentle person. The only regret I have is that I never got to thank him."
"Are you really sure about this?"
"What do you mean? Do you think that my decision is wrong?"
"I just don't want you to regret the decisions you make."
"Why would I regret catching a terrorist that murdered someone that I know?!"
"Is he really a terrorist? Even if his goal was to target the tournament then I find it hard to believe that he would just be here in the open doing tankery where everyone in the world can watch him."
"Enough of this conversation! I don't want to hear anymore. Let's talk about our plan against China tomorrow." Charlotte said in an angry tone
"As you wish, commander."
(Victoria and Charlotte then tried to forget about the recent news they found out and focused on the match they will have. Both of them couldn't completely take their minds off and just tried to sleep it off. Morning came quickly and after having a big breakfast they began discussing their plan for the match. It didn't take long for time to fly and the second match of the elimination rounds was about to begin. Both commanders now headed for the center to greet their opponents. For the British Team it was Charlotte and for the Chinese Team it was Chen)
"This is an official Elimination Match of the 18th International Tankery Tournament! The participants are the Chinese Tankery Team and British Tankery Team! The mode will be a Flag Tank Match! The team that destroys the Flag Tank of the other team wins! Both teams greet each other!"
"I regret to inform you princess that China will be the ones going through to the Quarter Finals this year. Let us have a great match!" Chen smiled
"About that, I know you have prepared a lot for this match Chen, but I'm sorry to say that I don't have a lot of time since something important came up, so I'll be finishing this match as quickly as possible."
"I see your confidence has turned into arrogance, Charlotte. You'll regret it if you even dare to underestimate me and my team."
"Arrogance huh..then it shall be my arrogance that will destroy your team."
(Both didn't even shake each other's hands after their greetings. Both teams returned back to their tanks and all tank crews were ready. Then a large timer was seen on a big screen and counted down. Victoria then started their team's chant that they always use every start of the match)
"WHO DO WE FOLLOW INTO BATTLE?!" Victoria shouted
"THE CONQUERING PRINCESS!" the British Team responded
"WHERE DO WE FOLLOW HER?!"
"TO VICTORY!"
"ALL HAIL HER MAJESTY!"
"ALL HAIL GREAT BRITAIN!"
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"All tanks forward!" Charlotte ordered
(The match between China and Britain has started and Gero picked a good time to oversleep and was rushing like crazy to the audience to be able to watch)
"WHY DIDN'T ANYBODY WAKE ME UP!?"
"We tried.." Ken said
"Four times.." Hajime said
"You should've tried a fifth time! Good thing I'm only 20 minutes late, how's the match?"
"It's over already.." Ono said
"What?! You're kidding!"
"Nope, twenty minutes was enough for the Conquering Princess to end it." Erika said
(A loud siren was rung all over the round signaling the match was over)
"THE CHINESE TEAM'S FLAG TANK HAS BEEN DESTROYED! THE WINNER OF THE MATCH IS THE BRITISH TEAM!"
"Aniki, what kind of tank is that? The one the princess is using?" Kin asked
"That tank is, the Conqueror Tank."
"Conqueror Tank?"
"It's a British heavy tank but with the way the Princess used it makes it look like a medium tank." Darjeeling said
"Heavy tank?! Isn't that already a main battle tank?!" Kay complained
"Actually, the funny thing is that the Centurion is considered a main battle tank even more than the Conqueror tank." Pekoe said
"I guess that's her main tank, and here I thought her Avenger tank was scary." Koume said
"Damn, I wish I could've watched it live!"
"Don't worry Eiji-kun, I'm sure they have a recording of the match. I'll ask the staff if we could get a copy." Kaede said
"Thank you so much Kaede-chan! You're the best!"
"Well, since the match is done let's head over to the practice arena now." Shiori said
"Why? Did we have anything planned?"
"We reserved an arena for three days to have practice matches with Germany, remember? Since they helped us practice before our match we agreed to help them as well!"
"Oh right, we did decide on that.."
"Did you leave your brain back on your bed? It seems that you're still asleep."
"Shut up!"
(The JNST team now headed for the practice arenas to start their practice matches with Germany. Gero and Erika were at the reservation office when suddenly Charlotte arrived)
"Oh! Charlotte! Congratulations on the win!
"Thank you very much!" Charlotte smiled
"That was a fast one! Have somewhere you need to go?"
"Haha something like that! Came here to reserve a training arena since the team decided to practice some more given that the facilities here are top notch."
(Charlotte was doing her best to act normally in front of Gero. It was taking everything she could to suppress her anger and bloodlust unfortunately Erika was able to sense a little bit of it)
"You've got a big pair on you for a princess.." Erika said
"Excuse me..?"
"Hey! Be nice! So sorry for the late introductions, this is Erika, my girlfriend!"
"Yes I know her, the great Iron Rose of Berlin, an honor to finally meet your acquaintance."
"I guess I could say the same to you. Anyways, we have a practice match to get to so we'll be going now." Erika said
"Of course, oh almost forgot! Our coach wanted to pass along a message."
"Coach? You mean Tank Meister Barrett?"
(Gero had to pretend that he didn't know Barrett since it would've been weird if he acted all close to the coach all of a sudden)
"That's right, he was very interested in you and wanted to invite you for a drink at a bar inside the Semisphere later tonight."
"I see, to be invited by a Tank Meister! Please tell him I'd be honored to have him buy me a drink!"
"I'll make sure to pass it along!" Charlotte smiled
(Gero and Erika now headed off leaving Charlotte with a very serious expression since it was all part of her plan)
"Why do you think Barrett would want to talk to me suddenly? He could've just called me."
"Maybe something important happened that he needed to say face to face and a phone call might've been too risky even for a secured line." Erika said
"Yeah could be.."
"Need me to come along as well?"
"Nah, I got this. You have fun with the team and I'll join you guys right away after I talk with Barrett."
"Okay, we'll be waiting for you then." Erika smiled
(The JNST and German Tankery Team then proceeded with their practice match. The limit this time wasn't 30 minutes so they were able to learn and practice more compared to their last match together. It was already evening when they finished so Gero took a bath and changed clothes then headed to the bar that Charlotte had told him to meet Barrett. When he arrived in front of the bar he saw Charlotte waiting by the entrance)
"Gero! Good evening!" Charlotte waved
"Charlotte? I didn't know you'd be joining us!"
"Coach said he'd be a little late so he sent me here to accompany you while waiting for him."
"I see, well I appreciate the company. Shall we head inside then? Ladies first!"
"Thank you, I guess even the famous TsunTora can be a gentleman." Charlotte teased
"P-Please don't call me that.."
(Both of them then entered the bar and there were a lot of people since it was a very popular one. They chose a seat by the bar and ordered a couple of drinks and light snacks while they talked. Time flew by and a lot of people had already left the bar and Gero noticed that Charlotte was looking at her phone)
"Coach Barrett says he's on his way and apologizes for being late.."
"It's fine, I enjoyed our time here anyway.."
"Me too, I wish we could've continued being good friends like this.."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing, do you mind if I ask a personal question?"
"I'll answer depending on how personal the question is but sure go for it!"
"Does the name Bryan Williams ring a bell?"
(Upon hearing that name, Gero froze and remembered all the memories connected to Bryan Williams also known as Phantom. He remembered his foster father's death and their fight to the death two years ago in Korea. Gero was stunned for a second and tried his best to calm down)
"Hmm, sorry but that's the first time I've heard that name.."
"Is that so? I thought for sure you'd be familiar with it."
"Why would you think that?"
"Well I mean, it's the name of the man that you killed two years ago in Korea, am I right?"
(Gero abruptly stood up from the bar and stepped back a few steps. His breathing got heavier and his heart started beating faster. Gero grabbed his katana and was ready to draw it. Charlotte just remained seated and looked at Gero with a serious expression)
"H-How did you know about that?! Who are you?!"
"I believe I had already told you my full name last time? I guess I'll introduce myself properly now, my name is Charlotte Artura Georgina, the disciple of Bryan Williams, the man you killed!"
(Once more Gero was shocked upon hearing she was Phantom's disciple. He remembered the last words of Phantom on that bridge the night he killed him. With his dying breath, Phantom asked Gero to not kill his disciple)
"Y-You are, his disciple? H-How could the princess of Britain be that man's student?!"
"Is that so hard to believe?"
(Gero then drew his katana from its scabbard and readied himself. But after a few seconds his vision got all blurry and his head started to spin. His body got all wobbly and slowly lost his balance)
"W-What is happening? What d-did you do to m-me?!"
"I was really surprised it took so long for the drug to work."
"Y-You spiked my drinks? Shit, it was a good drink too."
"Oh I didn't, he did."
(Charlotte pointed at the bartender and it was actually Agent Joules from MI6. The other people at the bar that was left in the bar were actually members of MI6 as well and started to stand up and point their weapons at Gero as he fell down on his knees. The drug that he ingested also had a paralyzing effect which made him unable to lift his arm. Charlotte stood up from her chair and walked up towards Gero. It was only for a moment but when Gero looked at Charlotte he saw an image of Phantom smiling down on him while standing right next to the princess. Gero was done smacked on the back of his head by one of the agents and knocked him out cold)
"Put him in the truck and let's move." Charlotte ordered
"Yes, your majesty!"
Coming Up Next : Chapter 104 - Phantom's Legacy
Author's Note:
Hi everyone! Gero and his team won their first match thanks to Rosehip! We also have seen the real tank of the Conquering Princess which is a Conqueror Tank! What did you think of the twist of Charlotte being the disciple of Phantom? Was it unexpected or predictable? Stay tuned for the next chapters!
